A guide to birding Sichuan 

Sichuan makes for a fantastic birding destination. Within reasonably easy reach of Chengdu, and its international airport, lies an exciting diversity of birding habitat. A Sichuan birding tour can include the farmland and rivers of the Sichuan basin, sub-tropical mountain forest at sites like Wawu and Emei and the spectacular Tibetan Plateau mountain ranges of the west with their rolling grasslands, and the sub-alpine forest. The geographic placement of Sichuan also promotes great birding. Lying in central China - situated in a biological transition zone where the East and Central Asian zones of the Palearctic border with the Indo-Malayan ecozone, – its birds are a rich mix of temperate and sub-tropical species.

Sichuan can boast some of the richest levels of biodiversity found in the Palearctic. For birders, the province contains one of China’s richest list of full and breeding endemics.

China Full and Breeding Endemics Found in Sichuan
Using current splits we can arrive at the following list of endemics that could be found on the normal Sichuan birding circuit that takes you on a route that could include the following sites – Emei, Longcanggou, Wolong, Balang, Mengbi, Ruoergai, Baxi, Jiuzhaigou, Wanglang, Tangjiahe and Chengd

List of China endemics found in Sichuan

Sichuan Partridge    Arborophila rufipectus    Endemic to Sichuan - local in SE Sichuan, no found at feeding sites
Chinese Grouse      Bonasa sewerzowi    Endemic – local, Baxi, Mengbi, Jiuzhaigou area, Wanglang
Chestnut-throated Monal Partridge    Tetraophasis obscurus     Endemic – fairly widespread in Alpine areas – often heard
Chinese Monal     Lophophorus lhuysii     Endemic – very local – Balang – also known from Moxi, Baxi and Jiuzhaigou areas
White Eared-Pheasant    Crossoptilon crossoptilon - as good as endemic, possibly found in Myanmar – Balang, Menbi, Kangding areas
Blue Eared-Pheasant    Crossoptilon auritum    Endemic - North Sichuan, Baxi, Jiuzhaigou areas, Wanglang
Reeves's Pheasant     Syrmaticus reevesii    Endemic – recorded in N Sichuan
Golden Pheasant     Chrysolophus pictus     Endemic – Wolong, Balang, Pingwu Park

Sichuan Wood Owl    Strix davidi    Endemic – uncommon, Alpine areas

Swinhoe’s Minivet    Pericrocotus cantonensis    breeding endemic – fairly widespread in the Sichuan Basin

Silver Oriole  Oriolus mellianus   breeding endemic SE Sichuan

Kessler’s Thrush    Turdus kessleri     Breeding endemic – common of the Plateau

Chinese Thrush    Turdus mupinensis    Breeding endemic – local, most easily seen in the Jiuzhaigou area

Crested Tit-Warbler    Leptopoecile elegans    Endemic – fairly widespread in western alpine forest

Sichuan Bush Warbler Locustella chengi – Breeding endemic – Longcanggou, Emei, Wolong

Alpine Leaf Warbler  Phylloscopus occisinensis  a split from Tickell’s, breeding Endemic  - widespread
Chinese Leaf-Warbler    Phylloscopus yunnanensis    Breeding endemic – widespread
Sichuan Leaf-Warbler    Phylloscopus forresti  Breeding endemic – widespread
Emei Leaf-Warbler    Phylloscopus emeiensis     Breeding endemic – widespread but local
Sulphur-breasted Warbler    Phylloscopus ricketti   Breeding endemic – widespread but local
Claudia's Warbler  Phylloscopus claudiae  Breeding endemic – widespread
Plain-tailed Warbler Phylloscopus soror  Breeding endemic – widespread

Rufous-headed Robin    Luscinia ruficeps    Breeding endemic – rare, JZ only.
Blackthroat    Luscinia obscura    Breeding endemic – historic records – regular vagrant/passage
Firethroat  Luscinia pectardens  Breeding Endemic – Local,Wolong, Balang, Erlang

Pere David's Laughingthrush    Pterorhinus davidi    Endemic – Ruoergai area, Baxi, Songpan area
Sukatschev's Laughingthrush    Ianthocincla sukatschewi    Endemic – Baxi and Jiuzhaigou areas
Barred Laughingthrush    Ianthocincla lunulatus    Endemic – Wolong, Balang, Jiuzhaigou area, Moxi
Biet's Laughingthrush  Ianthocincla bieti   Endemic - SW Sichuan, rare and threatened - now see at a feeding station
Giant Laughingthrush    Ianthocincla maximus    Endemic – Balang, Mengbi, Baxi, Jiuzhaigou area
Elliot's Laughingthrush     Trochalopteron elliotii    Endemic - widespread
Buffy Laughingthrush   Pterorhinus berthemyi   Endemic - fairly widespread

Emei Shan Liocichla    Liocichla omeiensis     Endemic – Emei, Wawu, locally common

Rufous-tailed Moupinia  Moupinia poecilotis  Endemic – Erlang, Moxi, Kanding Area

Gold-fronted Fulvetta     Schoeniparus variegaticeps    Endemic – Erlang, Longcanggou, Loujunshan
Chinese Fulvetta    Fulvetta striaticollis   Endemic – Balang, Mengbi, Baxi, Juizhaigou, Moxi

Three-toed Parrotbill   Cholornis paradoxus   Endemic – Longcanggou, Emei, Wolong, Moxi
Spectacled Parrotbill    Sinosuthora conspicillat   Endemic  - Baxi, Jiuzhaigou, Tangjiahe
Gray-hooded Parrotbill    Sinosuthora zappeyi    Endemic -  Longcanggou, Erlang
Przevalski's Parrotbill    Sinosuthora przewalskii      Endemic – rare  N Sichuan, Tangjiahe 

Chinese Cupwing   Pnoepyga mutica    Endemic – Loncanggou, Moxi, Emei, Wolong

White-browed Tit    Poecile superciliosa     Endemic – Ruoergai Grasslands
Sichuan Tit    Poecile weigoldicus  Endemic - fairly widespread alpine areas around treeline
Pere David's Tit    Poecile davidi    Endemic – Longcanggou, Moxi, Jiuzhaigou
Yellow-bellied Tit    Slyviparus venustulus  Endemic – Widespread at lower altitudes

Sooty Bushtit    Aegithalos fuliginosus    Endemic – Wolong, Jiuzhaigou, Pingwu, Tangjiahe, Wanglang
Silver-throated Bushtit  Aegithalos glaucogularis Endemic - we see in Baxi area has been reported around Chengdu

Przewalski's Nuthatch  Sitta przewalskii  Endemic – Rilong, Mengbi, Baxi, Jiuzhaigou area, Erlang (west side)
Yunnan Nuthatch    Sitta yunnanensis    Endemic – South Sichuan, common in Yunnan pine plantaions Xichang

Sichuan Treecreeper    Certhia tianquanensis    Endemic – Longcanggou, Moxi, Wolong, Wanglang

Sichuan Jay    Perisoreus internigrans    Endemic – Mengbi, Baxi, Jiuzhaiggou area

Red-billed Starling    Sturnus sericeus    Breeding endemic – widespread

Przewalski’s Finch   Urocynchramus pylzowi   Endemic – Tibetan Plateau,  local, Ruoergai